Vava'u - Tonga
Nowornot Web Diary
Robert (Bob) Parry and Ann Parry
Tue 25 Oct 2011 00:48
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Our passage from Bora Bora to Vava'u, Tonga, took
just over eleven days. We were plagued by light winds and had to motor for a
couple of days. We tied up at the fisheries dock and waited for the officials to
come to the boat. You know that you are in the tropics when the customs
officer's uniform is topped off with rubber thongs and the immigration officer,
also in rubber thongs, is sporting the Tongan national working dress of a knee
length skirt called a tupenu with a taovala which is a woven mat worn at the
waist with a waist band. Formalities were completed with the addition of the
immigration officer and then there was discussion of the coming world cup
quarter final. Australia was to play South Africa and they promised to barrack
for us.
 Most of these boats at Neiafu are on moorings as
the water is too deep and the bottom is not good holding for safe
anchoring.
The Vava'u group is to the north and is made up of
some fifty islands with extensive areas for protected cruising although most of
the anchorages are quite deep and have many coral heads to avoid. Tonga is a
jumping off point for boats headed to New Zealand and is also a favourite
cruising destination for boats that have spent the cyclone season in NZ. It is
also a final gathering point for boats that have crossed the Pacific from the
east. There were many Australian and American boats but also a fair
representation from Europe. There was quite a social whirl as evidenced by the
constant stream of contacts on the VHF radio.
 This island reminded me of the car in the movie
"Dumb and Dumber".
 Guess who owns the best piece of real estate in
town (behind the hotel on the waterfront).
Joel and Christine on "Balena" arrived several days
after us and we spent Saturday and Sunday nights together at Port Maurelle. On
Sunday, we took the dinghy a couple of miles to explore a cave, doing our
usual trick of towing Joel and Christine in their dinghy (saves a long row). On
Sunday night, we had dinner together and said our fond farewells as they are
heading to NZ and we left the following day for Noumea.
  Entrance to the cave.
 The dinghy from "Balena" inside the
cave.
 Stalactites in the cave.
 Somebody we all know framed by the
entrance.
 There is a lot of graffiti, some dating back to the
whaling days.
 Entrance.
 Entry to a second, inner cave.
  The water is very clear.
 "Nowornot" at Port
Maurelle.
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